Mending Hearts
by CaptainRocket
Summary: Leatherneck isn't always the nicest person to deal with on base.  Especially if he's dealing with "emotions" that he doesn't know how to express.  Leatherneck/OC...shameless fluff.
1. Chapter 1

This story was originally created as a dare by a fellow writer & close friend. She dared that I couldn't write a fluffy Leatherneck fic. And I did. :) It's rated T for some language just to be safe.

This is a work of pure fiction...I don't own anyone except for the OC's in the story.

_**Mending Hearts**_

_**Chapter 1**_

Juliette Rachtman frowned as she looked at the battered and bruised Marine that reluctantly sat on the edge of the gurney in front of her. She thought Beachhead was annoying but the man that was here now refusing treatment was beginning to slowly move into the first place for pain in her ass.

"Take off the shirt, Leatherneck," Juliette said as she lifted her stethoscope that was hanging from her neck and placed the metal around her neck to prepare to take a listen to his lungs.

"Nothing personal, Ratchet, but no," he said as he folded his arms across his chest. "My uniform stays where it's at."

Taking a deep breath, she sat the clipboard down on the stretcher next to where he sat and eased her hands down into the pockets of her white lab coat. The smell of smoke filled her nose as she stood in the small examination room with the man.

A fire had broken out on the training course when Leatherneck and two others were caught in the blaze. The other two were treated and released quickly but Lifeline and Doc. Unfortunately of the three men that came in after being ordered by Beachhead, she drew the short straw and got stuck with examining Leatherneck.

"Okay. First off. My name is Rachtman, not Ratchet. Secondly, if you don't take that shirt off right now I will get a Law and a couple of his MP's in here, pull out the leather restraints and strap your ass down on the stretcher so I can do what I need to do." Resting her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed as she stepped forward. "Pick one, soldier. You got five seconds."

He glared at her almost four seconds before he mumbled something under his breath, dropped his boots to the floor and proceeded to unbutton his shirt. He tried his best not to cough but his lungs hurt too badly not to. Taking off the CUU shirt, he sat it down on the stretcher and looked at her.

"Bet you want me to take off the skivvie, too?"

"That's the point, Leatherneck," she said as she placed the earpieces of her stethoscope in her ears.

He mumbled something again as he crossed his arms over his chest and pulled the olive drab t-shirt off and drop it down over his CUU. "Want my trouser's too? Hell, while I'm at it, I'll just drop down to what the good lord gave me."

Juliette's eyes lifted to stare up at the ceiling as she blew out a heavy breath. Lowering her eyes, she shook her head and stared at him. "Just your shirts will do for now. Sit."

The Marine climbed back onto the stretcher and sat down with his hands resting on his knees. His eyes followed her as she walked around the gurney until she was out of his peripheral line of sight as she stood behind him. His fingers tightened over his knees, preparing himself for the cold metal of the stethoscope being pressed against his back but he never got it. The diaphragm moved slowly across his back from one position to another as she listened to him breathing.

"Not too bad. You have some smoke inhalation. Your lungs are a little ragged," she said as she moved back around to the front. "Let me listen to your heart a little." Her green eyes lifted to meet his brown eyes. "That is if there's even one in there."

"That supposed to be funny?" he muttered as she placed her hand on his shoulder and placed the diaphragm against his chest. He covered his mouth again to cough, careful to make sure he turned his head to not cough in her direction.

"Sit up straight," she said.

Taking a deep breath, Leatherneck straightened himself and tried not to take a deep breath to inhale the scent of her hair. He tried to ignore the sweet floral scent that was teasing his nose as she stood just inches away from him as she listened to his heartbeat.

Stepping away, Juliette pulled the earpieces from her ears and laid the stethoscope back over her neck. "I think it would be beneficial for you to take a breathing treatment or two to help clear out your lungs. You were in that smoke a little longer than you should have," she said as she picked up her clipboard and pulled a pen from her lab coat pocket. Hearing him coughing again, she sighed as she made a few notations on the clipboard. Lifting her eyes she met his again. "But, you'll probably just refuse it anyway."

He stared at her, thinking it would have been easier to deal with Beachhead and disobey orders by not coming down to the infirmary. He would have sucked it up and taken whatever punishment that he had coming to him from Beachhead. But after feeling his lungs hurting more as he sat there he was glad that he had. Not that he wouldn't admit it to her.

"All right," she said, not receiving a response from the Marine. "I'll make a deal with you." She walked over to the sink and sat the clipboard down. Pressing the metal pedal beneath the sink cabinet, she poured some soap into her palm and began to wash her hands. "Go back to your quarters. Take a nice long shower. If you're still having trouble breathing, come back down here any time day or night. I'll leave orders for any of the staff on duty to give you a treatment." Pulling out several paper towels from the dispenser, she turned around to face him as she dried her hands. "And don't wait until you get where you can't breathe at all, Leatherneck. No need to let this turn into something worse like pneumonia."

He frowned as he looked at the base nurse. "Pneumonia? You trying to make me feel guilty to do what you want?"

Shaking her head, she dropped the towels into the waste can. "No. I'm not. Just trying to give it to you straightforward." Juliette placed her hands into her lab coat pockets and leaned back against the counter. "I mean, if you'd rather have me candy coat it, I will."

He continued to stare at her quietly for a moment before answering her. "Don't do that. If you're going to say it just say it."

Nodding, Juliette watched the Marine drop to his feet and began to redress. "Okay then. I think you should take a breathing treatment now and then another one in four hours. It will keep you from getting sick and keep you out of here and out of my hair."

"Aww…that hurts, Ratchet," he said as he released the belt around his trousers to open his pants to tuck his t-shirt back under the waist band. Buttoning the top of his trousers, he began to fasten the buckle of his belt then stabbed himself in the chest. "Hurts me right here."

Juliette gave him a half shrug. "Suits me just fine, sergeant. If you want to make yourself sick then by all means, do so."

Grabbing his CUU shirt from the stretcher, he stepped over to where she stood by the door and stopped. Looking down at the woman, his eyelids lowered as he stared at her. "I'm leaving."

"Good thing," she said as she pushed herself off the counter that she was leaning against. "You're stinking up my infirmary."

His finger lifted to point it in her face as his jaw slacked. He was about to say something but stopped, knowing better than to say what he wanted. His father raised him better than that. Dropping his hand down to his side, he turned and walked away without saying another word. He made it halfway down the hallway before he heard her make a comment behind his back, making him stop in his tracks.

"See you in a couple of hours," she had said.

He groaned, shaking his head. _Don't say it, Metzger,_ he thought as he began walking again. He'd prove her wrong. There was no way that he'd be back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Are you going to be all right, Juliette?" Lifeline asked as he walked out of the back office and up to where she was reading near the front entrance of the infirmary.

Lifting her eyes from her book, she smiled at the medic and nodded. "I'll be fine. Go and take a break. Spend some time with Compass."

He nodded. "Speaking of Compass. How did…um…your exam with her brother go?"

Taking a deep breath, Juliette closed her book as she pushed her chair back away from the table she was sitting at. "Fine. Typical, didn't want to do what I wanted him to do until I threatened him."

Lifeline adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Restraints or tranq gun?"

"MP's and restraints," she said, smiling.

The medic smiled as he watched her walk around the table to the refrigerator. She opened it and retrieved a bottle of soda from inside before shutting it again.

"I'm assuming that's Leatherneck's chart that's sitting in the bin outside of exam one. Keeping it out just in case?" he said.

She nodded, twisting the cap off the plastic bottle. "Not leaving anything chance." She took a sip before placing the cap back. "He sounded a little congested. I wanted him to have a couple of breathing treatments just to clear him out."

"And he refused."

"Of course he did. But, I got a feeling as soon as he's done taking a shower and try to lay down to sleep, he'll be back in here saying his chest is tight and he's coughing more."

Lifeline thought about it for a moment and nodded, agreeing to her prediction. "Most likely. If you want me to stay here and deal with him, I will."

Juliette shook her head. "No you will not. If I can deal with Beachhead or Heavy Duty going on about what big guys they are, I can deal with Leatherneck." She smiled. "I might be a civvy with a high clearance but I know how to handle those big babies when they get a boo-boo."

"Who has a boo-boo?" Compass said as she pushed the door to the infirmary open further and stepped inside. The Air Force pilot walked over to the medic and stopped. "Something wrong?"

"No. I was just telling Lifeline that he needed to go have dinner with you," Juliette said before taking another drink of her soda.

Compass looked at the other woman before turning back to Lifeline. "This have anything to do with my brother coming in here earlier?"

"You know I can't tell you that," Lifeline said.

Rolling her eyes, Compass sighed. "I know. Patient-medic confidentiality. Yeah…yeah, whatever." She smiled as she looked at the nurse. "I saw him hacking up a lung over by the motor pool. I think Hot Rod and Cover Girl said something about braining him with a wrench if he didn't go away."

Juliette pointed at Lifeline with a knowing smile on her face. "Did I call it, or did I call it?"

Nodding, Lifeline sighed. "If you need me – "

"I know. Just call." Juliette pulled her chair back out and sat down. "Go enjoy yourselves. Take your time."

Wrapping her arm around his, Compass pulled at Lifeline's arm and began to lead him to the door. "C'mon, handsome. I just got back from flying circles around the state and I'm hungry."

Lowering her head, Juliette smiled at the happy couple and went back to reading her book. She had worked long enough on the base to have received the respect that she had deserved from working side by side with the military staff that also worked with her. Working on base was a challenge for her it kept her busy and very happy.

The door swung open and the sound of a deep, productive coughing noise filled the front reception area. She didn't need to lift her head to see who it was.

"Room one," she said, snapping her book shut and standing up.

Leatherneck lifted an eyebrow as he covered his mouth to cough again.

The nurse looked at him with a frown on his face, shaking her head. "Well? You just going to stand there and cough up that lung up all over my clean floor."

The Marine tried to say something but decided against it. He just nodded and followed her out of the reception area and down the hallway to the exam room. The nurse was lifting the head of the stretcher when he entered the room. Pointing at the stretcher, she looked at him. It was that look that he remembered as a kid when his mom wanted to scold him, but knew it would be pointless.

"Sit. I got everything ready for you."

Doing as told, Leatherneck sat down on the edge of the stretcher and watched as she gathered the long tubing with a mouthpiece attached to the end of it. She stepped in front of him and handed him the mouthpiece that was making a hissing noise.

"Put it in your mouth. Breath in slowly through your mouth and back out."

Leatherneck frowned. "You're trying to poison me, aren't you?"

Juliette took a long, deep breath then blew it out. "Put it in your mouth and breath."

He took it from her and put it in his mouth. Slowly taking a deep breath, he breathed in the aerosol medication that was inside the small cylinder that was attached to the mouthpiece. The nurse reached out her hand to cover her wrists and delicately applied just enough pressure to the soft spot of his wrist to check his pulse as she looked at her watch.

"For the next ten minutes, you will not move from this spot. You will not remove it from your mouth." She removed her fingers from his wrist and pointed at him. "And you will not argue or complain about this. If you do, I will follow through with my threat from earlier by having Law sit on top of you and keep you here." Walking towards the door, she stepped in the doorway and pulled the chart out of the holder that was attached to the wall. Opening the file, she looked at him. "Better kick your feet up and lean back, you're going to be here for a while."

His eyes narrowed as she waved her pen at him, motioning towards his feet. Rolling his eyes, he lifted his boots and dropped them hard onto the foot of the stretcher and leaned back as he continued to breathe through the mouthpiece. Whatever the medicine was, it was working. His lungs were hurting as he continued to cough, but the aerosol that he was breathing in was starting to open up his lungs. Every time he coughed, it was making it easier for him to breath.

He hated when people like her were right.


	3. Chapter 3

I failed to mention this in the previous chapter…the OC Compass is a creation of a fellow writer & I'm using her for this story. Compass is the younger sister of Leatherneck who has only been with GI Joe for a short time. She's an Air Force pilot and has a budding relationship with Lifeline. Hot Rod is another OC that was created. Not sure if either of their stories will be posted here any time soon or not.

Also...please let me know if I fail to mention something. I honestly don't think about it so if something needs explained further please leave a review to mention it. Thanks again for reading!

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

His eyes followed her as she occasionally checked his pulse and listened to his chest sounds. She said it would only take ten minutes for the breathing treatment but it felt like much longer. He watched as she leaned forward against the cabinet and made a notation in his chart while she hummed to herself. It wasn't the humming that was setting him off it was the way her bottom swayed back and forth as she hummed. Every time she turned to check him, he'd close his eyes and act like he was resting. He didn't want her to know that he was checking her out.

_When did he let this woman get under his skin?_ he thought. The nurse had been on the base for several years now and before now she was just an annoyance that he had to deal with when forced to be checked out from returning from missions or routine exams. Most of the time, he managed to avoid her completely, rather having Doc or Lifeline or one of the other base doctors or medics take care of him. Not that he didn't like the nurse or any of the other nurses, he just felt more comfortable when he wasn't being distracted by her perfume.

Groaning, he lifted his hand to hit his palm on his forehead. _I need my head examined, _he thought.

"What?" he heard her say.

Opening his eyes, he found the nurse standing over him again. A frown on her face as she stared down at him and took the mouthpiece in her hand. He hadn't realized that the oxygen had stopped flowing through the mouthpiece. Parting his lips, she removed the plastic mouthpiece from his mouth and walked back over to the counter to set it down.

"You all right?" she asked as she moved to stand beside the stretcher and took his wrist in her hand again. "You were groaning. Like you were in pain."

"Pain for being here," he said.

Juliette cocked an eyebrow as she released her hold of his wrist and removed her stethoscope from around her neck. "Let me listen to your lungs again. If they sound better then I'll let you go so you can crawl back into whatever ditch or mud hole you feel like."

He sat up from where he was leaning back against the stretcher and swung his feet off the stretcher. She walked around to his back and placed the diaphragm against his back. Her hand touched his shoulder causing him to jump a little.

"Just me," she said. "Take a couple of deep breaths for me."

Leatherneck coughed a couple of times while trying to deep breath as he was ordered to do. It wasn't easy to do anything because all he could do was think about the scent of her perfume that reminded him of the fields not far from his home where he remembered playing in the tall flowers. She smelled of the lilacs that grew there.

"You're sounding better, Leatherneck. If you feel that you might need another treatment in a couple of hours, I want you back down here," she said as she walked around to the front of the stretcher to face him. She checked his pulse one last time before she cradled his chart in one arm as she wrote a note on it. Lifting her eyes from the chart, she found him staring at her. "You look tired. Why don't you go back to your quarters and get some rest."

"Yeah," he said as he slid off the stretcher, down to his feet. "Uh…thanks, Ratchet."

Juliette's lips parted to correct him but she stopped herself, it'd be pointless. Shaking her head, she sighed. "If you have any more problems, let me know."

The woman watched him walk slowly to the door. He stopped and turned back to look at her over his shoulder. He looked like he was going to say something but only took a deep breath and sighed. Turning back around, he walked away.

She followed him out of the hallway and walked back towards the reception area so she could finish writing in the chart and then continue some other paperwork that needed to be done. Not to mention she needed to finish inventory that Doc and Lifeline had asked her to complete. Dropping her paperwork on the desk, she pulled her chair away from the desk and paused before sitting down. She saw Leatherneck standing by the door, looking back at her.

"Are you all right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Fine. Thanks again," he said before pulling his hat back on his head and walking out the door.

She didn't know what to think of the Marine's behavior since he finished his breathing treatment. Something wasn't right about him but she didn't know what it was. Shaking it off, she sat down at her desk to continue to work.

Just as she began to start writing her report, the door swung open and Lifeline stepped into the infirmary. Pointing over his shoulder, he looked at the nurse. "Was that Leatherneck?"

She nodded and then returned to work. "It was. Apparently his chest was hurting enough for him to take it so he came down for an albuterol treatment." She lifted her head briefly to look at the medic. "I gave him one treatment and it helped. He was breathing better and somewhat clearer than he was previously." She tapped her ink pen on the desktop and looked at Lifeline again. "I don't think he'll be back but I told him to if he had problems to come back."

Lifeline pulled a chair up to the side of the desk she sat at and sat down. "He didn't fight you? I mean, I'm surprised that he came down here in the first place."

She nodded as she began to write on the chart. "You're surprised? I couldn't believe it when I saw him walk in here." She stopped writing and closed the chart. "It was just strange. There's not a full moon or something tonight, is there?"

The medic shook head. "No. Coming up on a new moon," he answered. "I didn't think you believed in that stuff."

"Moon cycles? You're kidding me, right? You don't?" she said as she pushed the chair back to stand up. She walked over to the file cabinet and pulled it out. "I worked in a trauma center for several years before coming here and I'm not joking. Every full moon it got freaky weird in there. Every type of trauma, injury you could think of, Lifeline."

He watched her turn around and shrugged. "I guess I didn't pay much attention to it personally. I mean, people that I've worked with have said it happened but I'm not superstitious or anything like that. So I just never thought about it."

She patted him on the shoulder as she walked around him. "I do. And the way that he was acting tonight I would have swore it was." She smiled as she walked towards the door. "I'm going out for a walk."

"You're not having dinner?"

Shaking her head, she put her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. "Not really hungry tonight. I'm just going to walk over to the mess hall and grab some of Gung Ho's bad coffee."

"Okay. Take your time."

Juliette waved at him as she exited the infirmary and stepped out into the cool air. Looking up into the sky, she frowned as she looked at the moon. Felt like it should be a full moon by the way the Marine acted when he was there. Something wasn't right about him but she didn't know what. But then again around this base nothing was right so Leatherneck acting weird was part of everyday life in the PIT.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was a couple days later and Juliette found herself stocking supplies. It was another quiet afternoon on base and she was taking time to clean up and restock before anything happened. For a base that normally kept her busy with lacerations, broken bones or the occasional heat exhaustion, she found herself today enjoying the opportunity to just relax and enjoy the quiet before the storm.

"There's my friend," Compass called out as she walked through the infirmary door. Holding two large foam cups, she held one up in the air and smiled at the nurse that was perched on top of a step ladder. "I come bearing presents."

"Compass, dear," Juliette said as she looked down from her position on the ladder and smiled at the Air Force pilot. "You're an angel."

The pilot smiled as she held up the cup to the nurse. "Some of the mess hall's best."

Accepting the cup, Juliette stepped down from the ladder and removed the plastic lid. "Black, strong and thick enough to stand a spoon in it," she said before taking a long drink of it. She closed her eyes and sighed in satisfaction. "That is so good."

"You are a woman after my own heart," Compass said.

Not long after the pilot had become a member of GI Joe, the nurse had found a kindred spirit with the pilot. They shared a love of coffee. And as the pilot's relationship had begun to grow with Lifeline, Juliette was seeing more of the other woman. Compass was a sharp contrast to Lifeline. He was quiet and laid back, Compass was loud and outgoing. The woman didn't hold anything back where he was subtle. The woman was perfect for him, Juliette knew it from the first moment she meet her.

"Thank you for the coffee," Juliette said. "I've been over here trying to get everything put away that we just ordered."

"Yeah. Lifeline said there was a ton of stuff that came in," Compass said before taking a drink of her coffee.

Nodding, Juliette looked over her shoulder at the boxes of supplies that were delivered that morning. "It did." She took a drink then sat the cup down on the counter. Folding her arms across her blue scrubs, she looked at the other woman. "How is your brother feeling? He hasn't come back in since that night."

Compass shrugged as she lowered the cup from her lips. "Fine I guess. I mean, you know how he is. The only time he grunts or mumbles is when he's complaining about something."

The nurse nodded. "Then I guess he's doing better." She turned back around and climbed back up onto the ladder. "That's good."

Lifting an eyebrow, Compass looked up at the woman as she took another drink of her coffee. If she was a suspicious woman she would have thought that the nurse was attracted to her brother. But anyone that ever been on base for more than five minutes would know that Leatherneck didn't like anyone and no one liked him. Even Wet Suit who put up with him more than anyone else on base wanted to bludgeon him in his sleep.

"We're going to go off base to get something to eat for lunch, Juliette," Compass said. "You want us to pick you up something?"

Juliette shook her head as she lifted a couple of smaller boxes out of a larger cardboard box and put them on a shelf. "No. But thank you. I brought a little something from home to munch on. I'm really not all that hungry today."

"You sure?" Compass asked again as she smiled at Lifeline who stepped out of his office and moved to stand next to her.

"I'm good, Compass. You and Lifeline go and enjoy yourselves."

The couple turned and walked away as the nurse continued to stock the shelves. Stepping outside, Lifeline turned to Compass and sighed.

"Juliette's been quiet for the last couple of days," he said.

"She's not always the most talkative person to begin with," Compass said. Seeing the look on his face she shook her head, sighing. "I'm not being rude or anything. I'm just saying, she works and that's about it. She's all business."

Lifeline nodded. "I wonder why?"

"Wonder why what?"

The two stopped and turned around to find Leatherneck standing there. Compass sucked in a deep breath and shook her head.

"Damn. I didn't even hear you sneak up on us," she said.

Leatherneck groaned as he looked at his sister and the medic. "My boots were making enough noise to wake the base. Good damn thing I'm not Snake Eyes or one of his students. One of them would have sliced you before you even knew it."

"Well, that's reassuring to know," Lifeline said, frowning.

"Where you two off to?" the Marine said.

"Getting lunch," Lifeline answered.

"Yeah," Compass added as she nudged the medic's elbow lightly. "And we're picking up something for Juliette. She'll probably be too busy in the infirmary to go to lunch so we said we'd bring her something."

The Marine stood in silence with his arms folded across his chest. "It's already 12:30. You going to make the woman starve waiting on you two?" he said.

"Well…" Lifeline began as he felt Compass subtly nudge him again. "You can take it back to her for us. Then she can take a break from putting up supplies."

Leatherneck's eyelids lowered slightly as he looked at the two. "So you're going to make me your delivery boy for Ratchet?"

Compass shook her head. "No. We'll take it back to her when we're done. She said she'd wait."

"Damn woman's cranky enough as she is," Leatherneck said. "Bet Ratchet's worse when she's hungry."

Shrugging a shoulder, Compass said, "Well, I'm just telling you she said she'd wait until we got back. So, Lifeline and I are going to go have a nice lunch at the mess hall and then drop some food off with Juliette."

Poking Lifeline in the chest with a large finger, Leatherneck looked down at the medic. "I'll take her something. Thought you take better care of the people that you work with, Steen."

Lifeline's jaw slacked as he turned to look at Compass as Leatherneck walked away. "I can't believe you did that!" he said in disgust.

"Did what?"

"Make him think that we were bringing Juliette something back to eat later. She said she was fine."

"I know. You know. But he doesn't." Compass smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. "I think he likes her."

"I doubt it," Lifeline said. "Don't take this the wrong way, Corie. But your brother doesn't like anyone."

"Hell, he barely likes me at times," she said. She winked at the medic. "But I think he might be making an exception towards our nurse."

"God help Juliette if that's true," Lifeline said as they turned to begin walking towards the mess hall again.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to all that have read & big thanks for the reviews. I know this isn't the usual rough & tumble G.I. Joe story that most expect but every now & then even a little fluff needs to show that they're just normal people as well.

Here's another chapter & I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter 5

Leatherneck frowned when he walked into the infirmary carrying a small box. He didn't know what to bring the woman to eat so he just grabbed a little bit of everything and brought it all. He even snagged a couple slices of fresh baked apple pie before Beachhead was able to get to it. Looking around he didn't see her at first but after listening carefully, he heard her humming from a nearby storage room.

"Hey, Ratchet," he called out.

"Oh dear god," he heard her say from inside the room.

Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. _"What the hell am I doing here?"_ he thought as she stepped out of the storage room a moment later. She stood in the doorway, staring back at him with a blank expression.

"Can I help you, Leatherneck?" she said as she pushed back a stray lock of hair that had fallen from her clip back behind her ear.

"Lifeline said you're hungry. Asked if I'd bring you something back," he said as she sat the box down on the desktop.

Frowning, she stepped forward and looked at the contents of the box. Lifting her head, she looked at the Marine. His ever present scowl on his face as he looked down at her. "He told you I was hungry?"

He nodded. "That's what he and Compass said."

Lowering her eyes again, she looked at the large amount of food that was in the box. "All right. Even if I was hungry, I don't think I could eat this much." Her eyes lifted to his and smiled. "Honestly, I don't know why they told you that, I wasn't all that hungry. However, if you are hungry then you can share some of this with me."

The Marine took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "You up to something, Ratchet? You're being nice."

Shaking her head, she sighed as she folded her arms across her chest. "If you would take the time not to argue with me when you're in here for whatever reason then you'd discover that I am a nice person." She began to lift items out of the box and set them down on the desktop. "But you think it's just easier to come in here, call me names and argue about everything that I want you to do."

"Maybe it's because I got better things to do than sit around in some infirmary being babied."

Taking out the two slices of pie, she held them in her hands as she looked at him. "Then quit acting like a baby when you come in here and I wouldn't have to." She paused and held out one of the slices of pie. "So you can either sit your ass down and share the food that you brought over here that would honestly feed a small family or you can take your pathetic self out of my infirmary and go bother someone else."

Leatherneck looked at her for a moment before cocking an eyebrow. "You are mean," he said taking the slice of pie.

"You don't know the half of it, Leatherneck," she said before she turned and walked away. "I have soda in the fridge or if you want I brought in a gallon of sweet tea that Beachhead hasn't discovered is in here, so you're welcome to some if you want it."

"Tea," he said as he began to sort the items out that he brought. He lifted his head and saw her standing by the refrigerator shaking her head as she poured two glasses. Moaning, he ran a hand over his face. "Please."

Juliette turned around, holding the two glasses that she had poured and looked at him surprised. She wasn't expecting him to say 'please' to her. "Sure," she said softly as walked back towards the desk to hand him a cup.

"Thank you," he said before pulling up a chair from the other side of the room so he could sit down next to the desk.

The nurse shook her head as she pulled back the plastic wrap from a turkey sandwich that he had brought to her. "I should thank you. But I really don't know why those two told you I was hungry." She pulled off a corner of the sandwich. "I had brought in leftovers to eat. I had told them that I wasn't all that hungry."

His hand tightened around the fork that he picked up to stab at a piece of chicken that he had just cut into small pieces. The plastic fork snapped in two as he looked at her. Seeing her frown, he strangled a chuckle and tossed the fork into a trash can.

"Cheap plastic fork," he said.

Nodding, Juliette stood up and walked back to the refrigerator. She pulled out a bag and brought it to the desk. Unzipping the bag, she pulled out a metal fork and knife and handed it to him. "Here. Try this."

He accepted the silverware and smiled at her. "Thanks."

She nodded. Peeling off another corner, she smiled. "So they lied to you, huh?"

"Obviously." He shook his head as he took a bite of the chicken. He began to move his food around the plate. "Everyone trying to get all up in my business."

Leaning back in her seat, she picked up her glass of tea and took a sip. "Why do you think that is?"

"How the hell should I know, Ratchet." He stabbed at the thick potato chunks on his plate and shoved them into his mouth. "Everyone thinks they know what's good for me but my own damn self."

"Maybe they just worry about you, Leatherneck." Seeing the expression of disgust on his face, she smiled. "You know it is acceptable to allow someone, especially your sister, to care about you. You are stationed together and she knows firsthand how much stress you're under daily." He continued to frown as he looked at her. "Okay…just maybe someone thinks that you're not happy. That there's something missing in your life and they want you to find some happiness."

He polished off the plate of food as he watched her tear apart the remaining half of her sandwich. "So why they lie to get me to bring you food?"

Shaking her head, she sighed. "Maybe because they knew I'd talk to you without hesitating." She took a small bite of her sandwich. "Maybe because I'm not afraid to talk to you."

"People aren't afraid to talk to me," he said with a snort.

She stood up once again and walked away. Returning to the desk, she poured him another glass of tea. "Yes they are. You want people to be afraid of you, Leatherneck. If people liked you then you wouldn't be that bad ass Marine that you try to make everyone think you are."

"I am that bad ass Marine," he said as he stood up and began to throw his trash away. Turning back around, he looked down at her as he rested his hands on his hips. "People don't like me."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "People would like you if you didn't start arguments with them every time they try to be nice to you. You're pigheaded and stubborn. You think that it's easier for people to dislike you then you don't have to show people just how you feel. You won't have to prove to people that you can be nice."

"I can be," he said, defending himself.

She nodded her head as she rocked back and forth on her chair. "I know you can be."

He released a deep throat growl as he looked down at her. The woman knew just how to get under his skin in a way no other could. Not his mother, not his sister, but something about Juliette was about to get to him and make him second guess himself. What did she really know about him or what he wanted?

"I got duty soon," he said as he straightened himself. "I gotta go."

Juliette watched him as he pushed open the door of the infirmary and paused long enough to look at Lifeline who was trying to walk inside. The Marine growled at the medic before walking away. Stepping inside the building, he looked at the nurse.

"He knows you two lied to him," she said as she popped the last bit of sandwich into her mouth. Standing, she cleaned off her desk and threw the trash away. "I don't think he's happy about it."

Lifeline sighed, shaking his head. "Great."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"I swear I had nothing to do with it," Lifeline said as he looked at the nurse as she placed two plastic containers that held the apple pie into the refrigerator.

Juliette sat the pie slices into the refrigerator and turned around to look at the medic. "I'm probably going to regret asking what you're talking about so I won't."

He followed her back out of the small break room and back into the storage room that she had been working in before her impromptu lunch delivery. Lifting his eyes, he looked up at her as he held up a pair of boxes containing sterile dressings.

"You're right. You probably don't want to know," he said.

Taking the boxes, Juliette placed them on the shelf and held out her hand to accept another pair of boxes. "Whatever you and Compass are up to – "

"Not me," he shouted. "It's all Compass. She did this."

"I don't want to know, Lifeline," Juliette continued saying as she ignored his comment. She turned back around to look at him and sighed. "Whatever it is, you can tell her thank you but no thank you." She climbed down from the ladder and began to break down the empty cardboard boxes.

Lifeline sighed as he helped her. "She really doesn't mean to cause problems, it's just that…" He paused and shook his head. "Problems follow her. She can't help it."

The nurse smiled as she walked around the medic. "That's quite all right. She probably means well but she's fighting a losing cause there."

He nodded as he watched her turn and walk away. Maybe she was right, she had never shown any interest in anyone on the base or any interest in anyone for that matter. Juliette said she liked being alone and since her divorce she wasn't interested in a relationship. Or that was something he had overheard her tell Doc one afternoon when he was trying to set her up with a friend. Lifeline didn't know much about her divorce or much about her time before joining the team. She was private just like most of the people that were in the Pit.

He needed to explain to Compass that it was a good try but she just needed to let it rest.

* * *

><p>"What is wrong with you?" Leatherneck said as he placed his large hands on top of the table and looked across it at his younger sister.<p>

Compass looked up from the crossword puzzle she was working on and stared up at her older sibling. "What are you talking about?"

"Sending me over to Ratchet with food. She didn't even want it," he said.

The woman leaned back in her chair, shrugging. "I'm sorry. I could have sworn she said she was hungry and wanted us to take her something."

"You know damn good and well she didn't. You're just trying to get me over there, aren't you?"

Shrugging, Compass went back to her puzzle. "If you want to think that, go right ahead. I honestly thought she said she was hungry."

He pushed himself off the table and stood up straight. "You need to worry about your own damn life, sister. I can take care of my own."

She lifted her eyes just enough to watch him stalk off. Several members of the Joe team that were in the rec room all turned to look at her curious to what had just happened. Shrugging, she went back to her crossword puzzle. _"Rome wasn't built in a day,"_ she thought, smiling. _"And Leatherneck falling in love won't be either."_

He grumbled all the way out to the firing range. People that were in his path quickly stepped to the side to get out of his way. He was a speeding train trying to get away from everyone and the last thing he wanted was to be stopped by someone that wanted to just sit around and chit-chat about something pointless.

When he reached the firing range he found himself a nice, quiet hole and crawled into it with his weapon of choice in hand. That afternoon he was going with something simple, a M4A1 would do the job that he wanted it to do. He wanted to shoot and destroy any target that was thrown at him.

Beside him on the range, Sci Fi and Stalker had been working on target practice. When they became distracted by Leatherneck's mumbling as well as his consistently on the target shooting. Sci Fi frowned when he looked at the other man. Normally when Leatherneck was shooting, he'd be close but not always accurate except when he was mad about something. The more stress he was under usually meant the closer he was. And right now he was destroying the targets.

"You all right, Leatherneck?" Stalker asked as he watched the Marine begin to reload the weapon.

"I'm just fine," he answered. "Why is everyone thinking there's something wrong with me?"

Sci Fi folded his arms across his chest and shrugged. "Is there something wrong with ya?"

The Marine stood up and turned to look at the other two men as he lifted his safety glasses. "No there's nothing wrong with me? I'm getting damned tired of everyone asking if there's something wrong."

He lowered back down to the ground in a supine position and started to fire again. Maybe if he did something constructive he'd be able to quit thinking about what his sister was up to or about the nurse. He didn't even know why he was thinking about the nurse of all people. She was pushy, bossy, and argumentative. She knew exactly what buttons to push to make him mad.

The rifle dry fired a couple of times before he realized that he was out of bullets. Another round of cursing escaped him as he stood up and dusted the dirt off his uniform. He stepped off the firing range and entered an area to break down his weapon and then carefully began to clean it. Concentrating on his work helped calm him down, helped keep his mind focused on something other than what was bothering him.

Once he was finished with stripping, cleaning and reassembling his weapon, his mind began to wander off again. Thankfully, his stomach rumbling became a new distraction for him to keep himself busy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Another week went by and Juliette spent the afternoon cleaning up scrapes, minor lacerations and contusions of several greenshirts that decided it was easier to climb a tower all at once. Only problem was the tower was built to hold their weight and collapsed in a pile of toothpicks beneath them. Now she had ten trainees needing patched up before they were to report back to Beachhead for their punishment.

Taking a deep breath, she finished up with her last of the injured and sent the young private back to his CO to receive his punishment. Stepping into an empty exam room, she sought refuge from the craziness that was her occupation. She knew that there'd be days like this. Days that it would be running from the moment she walked in the door until she left to go back to her small apartment off-base.

Today had been one of those days.

"Jules!" Doc shouted as he ran down the hallway, looking for her.

Stepping out into the hallway, she saw him running the opposite direction. "Doc. Right here."

He skidded to a stop and turned to face her. "Tomahawk's coming in. Two wounded. Gun shot. Fracture. I need two trauma rooms set up now."

"ETA?" she said as she headed back down the hallway to do as she was instructed.

"Ten minutes. They're coming in hot and fast."

Grabbing two young medics to help her prepare, with their help they got ready for the incoming chopper. Ten minutes for traumas could seem like a lifetime to arrive. The civilian hospital she used to work in previously she usually received about a five minute warning. But even with the gun shots, stabbings and various other traumas coming in, it never seemed to compare to what was brought in to the infirmary.

Other medical staff rushed around to prepare for the incoming injuries. She began to delegate what needed to be done by each of the support staff. She took that as an opportunity to prepare a surgical suite in case either the gunshot wound or the fracture needed to be taken into surgery. Better safe and ready than unprepared.

"They're here!"

As soon as the warning was made the doors swung open and Juliette was throwing into the mix. Medics running all over the triage area, team members returning from the mission and the wounded on stretchers.

"I want Stalker in room one!" Juliette shouted as she saw the Army Ranger with a large dressing being applied to his shoulder by a medic. The next stretcher she saw held Footloose with a full leg splint applied to his left leg, the Infantry trooper rambling something no doubted an effect from narcotics that the field medic had said was given to the man. "Room three with Footloose! I want those pants cut off and his leg prepped for Doc to take to surgery!"

She looked around to see if anyone else was coming through the doors. When no one immediately came inside, she turned around and began to go to work by directing everyone where to go and what to do. As the charge nurse, she tried to make sure that the doctors on staff as well as all of the medics knew what was going on and tried to run back-up for them. She was needed everywhere at the same time. It kept her busy and helped her keep her mind occupied.

Doc was in surgery, finishing up setting Footloose's leg. Stalker's wounds were stitched after Dr. Schneider had the Ranger scanned for any shrapnel, bone fragments or anything that would have caused problems. The wound was a through and through so after making sure that nothing was vital was hit, the doctor cleaned the wound and stitched the man back up. The medics moved him to another room so he could be monitored over night and was kept pain-free.

Juliette used the small amount of quiet time that she had while waiting for Doc to come out of surgery to begin restocking the shelves in room one where the medics and Dr. Schneider was working in. Stepping out of the room, she ran her hands over her face and released a yawn. She could fall asleep standing up if she was given a minute to herself. Only when she saw the door open and the Marine walk inside, holding his left arm up close to his body her body snapped back into work-mode and was throwing out orders.

Without giving him a chance to say anything, Juliette pointed to the exam room and just said one word. "Now."

Frowning, Leatherneck looked at the nurse through lowered eyelids. "It ain't nothing," he said. "Just need a new bandaid."

She saw the fresh blood tinged color to the white, sterile gauze that had been applied to his forearm. "I'm in no mood, soldier. Get your ass in there now. If you don't move on your own, I'll have someone throw you in there."

The man stood there for a short time glaring at her. It was one of the only times that she had outright cursed at him. Nodding, he walked passed her and into the room as he had been ordered.

Following him inside the room, she watched as he stared at the wall in front of him. Shaking her head, she sighed. He was going to make this difficult for her, even more than usual.

"You know the drill, Leatherneck," she said. She waited until he turned around to face her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly blew it back out. "Please. Help me out here."

Taking his hat off and tossed it to the counter before he lifted himself up to sit down on the stretcher. Using his uninjured arm, he unbuttoned his long sleeved camouflage shirt and pulled out his uninjured arm. As he went to pull his other arm out, she was there by his side and helped him to pull his shirt off the rest of the way. Trying to be careful not to pull off the dressing that was already on his arm.

"Why didn't you come down here when you got back?" she said as she folded his shirt and laid it at the foot of the stretcher.

"Had to give the tops my report," he answered.

His eyes followed her to the counter to retrieve the supplies that she would need. Easing her fingers into a pair of gloves, she walked back over to him. He could see the fatigue in her eyes as she took his arm into her hands and began to carefully unwrap the dressing.

"It couldn't wait?" she questioned. "The longer you wait to have a wound looked at could mean a greater chance of getting an infection."

"That field medic Connors cleaned and wrapped it. Its fine," he said as he watched her shake her head when she finally removed the dressing. "That's what those guys do, remember?"

"I know what their job entails," she said as she sat his arm down on a stack of towels that she had folded prior to removing the dressing. Unscrewing the cap to a bottle of sterile saline solution, she folded a pair of 4x4 dressings and went to cleaning the wound better. "Remember, I've been there before."

"Field medic? When was you – "

"I wasn't," she said, interrupting him. "I worked my way through nursing school as a paramedic." She lifted her eyes just enough to look at him briefly before returning to her work. "I would have never qualified for service."

Leatherneck watched her quietly work on cleaning his wound. It was obvious that she was tired; he could see it in her eyes. If he was going to get an answer from her this was going to be the best time to do it. When she wouldn't resist and fight with him about it. "Do you want to go out?"

Juliette looked up from the wound to stare into his deep brown eyes and frowned. "What did you say?" she asked.

"I know you heard me, Rachtman," Leatherneck said as he jerked his arm back when she poured the cool saline solution over the laceration. "Don't make me repeat myself because I won't."

Lowering her head, she smiled. "Well how am I supposed to know what you said when you mumble all of the time."

The Marine shook his head and grunted. "Damn woman! You pour acid into that wound." He straightened himself as he looked at her again. "It's a damn papercut. I've had worse."

"Will you just relax," she said. "And it's not a paper cut. It's a laceration, pretty deep one, too. You're going to need at least six, maybe eight stitches. If Doc gets it stitched up then it will minimize the scarring."

"So what? Another scar," he said. He smiled at her and winked his eye at her. "Chicks dig scars."

"Really now?" she questioned as she draped a wet dressing over his laceration and stepped back. Pulling off her gloves, she sighed. "Do you need anything else before I go get Doc?"

"An answer."

"What's the question?"

Using his free hand, he moved so quickly that she didn't see his hand that curved over the back of her neck and pulled her closer. His lips touched hers sending a spark through her body. Pulling back, he looked at her and smiled when she just stared back at him, speechless.

"If that's what it takes to shut you up, then I should have done it sooner," he said. "Now…answer my question."

She pulled way and took several steps backwards. Walking to the door, she pulled it open and smiled. "Yes."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I want to thank all of you that have read this story & huge thanks for all of you that have left a review or two. I can't say thanks enough to all of you, I appreciate it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

He had kicked himself for the next 24 hours after saying those words and doing what he had done. As soon as she had given him an answer and walked out of the room he had wished that he had never said a word to her. And if asking her out on a date was bad enough, he found himself giving in to her suggesting that she could cook at her home in case he didn't feel like going out.

Standing on the line, watching other Joes running through the PT course, he folded his arms and frowned. The only logical reason he could give himself was that he was in pain and was delusional. _That's it,_ he had told himself. _The pain was making me stupid and not thinking straight._ He glanced down at his watch, another ten hours before he was to meet her at her house.

His plan was to be polite, show up at her home for dinner, then fake a call where he'd have to leave. For a moment he felt ashamed of himself for even thinking about doing that. He wasn't that type of man. Then again he wasn't really the type of man that would ask a woman out on a complete whim either. Considering the last couple of blind dates that he had been saddled with he knew that he had a better shot of asking a woman out that he was remotely interested in than depending on what woman he was going to be paired up with while going out with another Joe. Too many times he found himself with a woman that wasn't interested in him just as much as he wasn't interested in her.

"Wha's yah problem, Leatherneck?" Beachhead said as he returned to the PT course line and looked at the Marine. "Yah's just gonna stand there? Or are yah gonna run it?"

Leatherneck realized that the other three in his group to run the PT course was already several yards in front of him and down crawling beneath the barbwire fencing. He looked at Beachhead and shook his head.

"Sorry, Beach."

"MOVE!" the Ranger yelled out.

The Marine took off in a sprint and quickly dropped to the soft mud that was beneath the barbwire obstacle. Shaking his head, Beachhead groaned.

"The whole PIT is goin' ta hell inna hand basket," he muttered before he turned to start yelling at a pair of Joes that was running across the finish line.

* * *

><p>"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Wet Suit asked as he looked at the Marine.<p>

He was trying to get out of his quarters before the SEAL knew he was missing. Unfortunately his timing was off and just as he was trying to walk out the door, he was greeted by the SEAL trying to get back inside the quarters.

"I…I got things to do," Leatherneck said.

Wet Suit frowned as he looked at the other man from top to bottom. "In civvies?"

"It's none of your business, frog boy. You ain't my momma so I don't need to tell you anything," the Marine said. He placed his palm on the man's shoulder and pushed him out of the doorway. "Move."

Watching the Marine walk away, Wet Suit shook his head. Just when he thought he got Leatherneck figured out he was proven wrong again. Shaking it off, he decided it was better to not know too much about the man. It was healthier to his sanity to not know what he did during his off time.

* * *

><p>He looked at the address that she had written down on a slip of paper before looking at the metal numbers that were on the front of the building. The apartment building seemed harmless enough. Located in a small suburb community.<p>

Climbing out of his truck, he slammed the door shut before walking around to the passenger side to retrieve a bottle of wine that a sales clerk helped him pick out. He didn't know anything about picking out wines. At one time he almost walked out without buying anything because the clerk was asking him questions about what was on the menu, or what types of wines would she like. All questions that he didn't have answers to. In the end, the woman talked him into purchasing two different wines, a chardonnay and a blush, so he was covered.

Walking to the door, he looked for her name on the mailboxes to make sure that this truly was the building. He found her mailbox number and pressed the red button beside it.

"_Hello?"_ came her voice over the intercom.

"It's me," he said. Coughing, he sighed. "Leatherneck."

"Come on up. I'll have the door open," she said just before he heard the buzzing of the door being unlocked.

Pulling open the door, he stepped inside and made his way to the staircase to walk up the three floors to her apartment. Exiting the stairwell, he looked down both ways to make sure that no one was there or if there were any problems. He lifted his hand and smacked the heel of his hand against his forehead. He needed to remind himself that he didn't have to stay on high alert every minute of the day. This was a chance for him to unwind and do something he hadn't done in a very long time. Have dinner with a woman.

He found her apartment door and checked to make sure if the door was unlocked as she had said it would be. The door opened without any effort and his nose was assaulted by a mixture of smells that made his stomach remind him just how hungry he really was.

"You know, you really shouldn't have your front door unlocked like that," he said as he pushed the door shut and locked it.

She stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel. A smile on her face as she looked at him. "Wow…I…"

"What?" he asked as he looked at her.

Juliette sighed as she pushed back a lock of her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry. I've never seen you in anything but your uniform. Whether it's combat or dress."

He nodded. "Yeah. I could same for you, Ratchet."

"Okay," she said aiming a finger at him. "First of all, my last name is Rachtman. Not Ratchet. And if you want to be really nice you can call me Juliette."

He stared at her with a straight face. Pursing his lips together, he nodded. "Juliette."

Smiling, she looked at him. "See how easy that was." She paused waiting for him to answer but didn't get a response. "And this is when you're supposed to tell me what I'm supposed to call you all night. I mean, do I have to call you Leatherneck all night?"

Stepping forward, he moved closer to her and offered out the two bottles of wine that he brought. "Wendall." He blew out a heavy breath. "My name is Wendall."

Taking the two bottles of wine from him, she nodded. "Wendall. I hope you're hungry because I cooked enough food to feed half the base."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been getting ready for camping with the Cub Scouts this weekend. Just got back this evening & I'm completely exhausted. But it was well worth every ache & pain that I'm feeling now.

Anyway...back to the story. Hope you're still enjoying it. There's more to come for the couple.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

"Do you want anything else?" she asked as she watched him finish off the remainder of his vegetables that were on his plate. "There's plenty left."

Leatherneck shook his head, setting the fork down on the now empty plate. She wasn't lying when she said she cooked enough to feed base. Strip steaks with mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes and homemade gravy and grilled vegetables. He couldn't remember eating this well anywhere off base except for his mother's cooking when he had the rare opportunity to go home. "Um…no." Wiping his face off with the cloth napkin, he folded it up and sat it down on the table. "If I eat any more I may need to call someone with a fork truck to get me back to base."

"I know it wasn't nearly as good as one of Roadblock's gourmet meals," she said as she stood up and began to gather the dirty dishes. "But I try."

"It was very good," he said as he stood up to help her gather dirty dishes. "Best meal I've had off base in a long time."

Juliette accepted the dishes from him and placed them in the dishwasher. "I'm glad to hear that," she said as she turned to look at him.

He continued to help her clean off the table and put any leftovers in containers to put in the refrigerator. Taking their wine glasses into the living room, Leatherneck carried the bottle that they were drinking from and sat it down on the coffee table. He waited until she sat down before he took the other end of the sofa from her.

The two sat in silence for a while, listening to the soft jazz that was playing from the stereo. Finishing off his wine glass, he reached out to pick up the bottle and pour himself some more. He didn't know what he should be doing next. Glancing at her glass, he noticed it was nearly empty.

"More?" he asked.

Nodding, she held out her glass to him. "Please."

He emptied the contents of the bottle in her glass and returned the now empty bottle on the table. Juliette took another sip of her wine and slowly lowered the glass from her lips.

"If you have someplace that you'd rather me, I completely understand," she said as she leaned forward to place the glass on the coffee table.

"You trying to get me out of here?" he snapped back as he turned to face her.

"No." She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and slowly blew it back out. "You just looked bored to death."

He shook his head. "I'm not." Running a hand through his thick black hair, he sighed. "I guess I'm just out of practice with this dating thing."

"Why is that?" she said, placing her elbow onto the back of the sofa and propped her chin in her palm.

He shrugged. "I just don't get out much." Taking another drink, he turned to her. "Really don't have a reason to."

"It's a shame," she said. Shifting her body, she pulled one leg up beneath her and turned to face him better. "You're a smart, intelligent man. There's much more to you than the rough and tough Marine that you are."

Snorting, Leatherneck rolled his eyes. "No one's ever called me smart or intelligent."

"Shame." Juliette reached out and picked up her wine glass. "I just spent almost two hours talking to you over dinner talking about current events, sports, books and a variety of other things and learned a lot about you. I've had the best conversation with you tonight than I have in a long time."

This time he laughed. "You're kidding me, right? I'm a jarhead. I know nothing about anything."

"You're wrong," she said before taking a drink. "I've always enjoyed talking to you." Tilting her head to the side slightly, she smiled. "You're really not the bad ass that you want people to think you are."

He looked at her as he reached out and took the glass of wine away from her. "I think you've been drinking too much, woman."

"Not at all," she replied.

Glancing down at his watch, he shook his head and sighed. "I really should be getting back to base."

Nodding, Juliette stood up and walked towards the door. Unlocking the deadbolt then the doorknob, she turned to face him. "I had a nice time, Wendall."

He looked down at her, nodding. "I did, too, Juliette."

Her smile grew as she looked up at him. "See. You can call me by my name if you really wanted to."

"Yeah. Guess I can."

He started to reach for the door to open it but stopped himself. Instead of taking the doorknob to leave, his hand moved up to her neck and pulled her close to his body as he lowered his head to kiss her.

Soft and gentle at first, much as it was in the infirmary. But as soon as he pulled away and looked down at her lowered lids and parted lips, he had to kiss her again. Pressing her back against the door, his lips crashed over hers. Her lips parting as his tongue pushed deep inside her mouth. Hands moving across her waist to tug on her blouse, pulling it from the waistband of her skirt to slide his hands across the bare skin of her stomach.

Pulling back, he rested his forehead against hers. "Look, Juliette. I don't want you to do something you're going to regret."

"No regrets, Wendall," she said as she cupped her hand over his cheek.

Bending his head, Leatherneck brushed his lips across hers, a soft light touch that almost wasn't there, sending a rush of longing through her body. Tasting his mouth, her body relaxed against his touches. Her fingers clung to his shirt and every part of her body exploded in lust. He groaned, she moaned, and the kiss went deeper, harder and rougher.

Lifting her up, he wrapped her legs around his waist, holding her close to his body. "Bedroom?"

Putting her arms around his neck for support, she took in a deep breath. "Down the hallway. Second door on the right."

"Gotcha," he said before twining his fingers in her hair, pulling her in for another long kiss.

Making it to her bedroom, Leatherneck sat her down on the bed. He pulled away from her long enough for them to begin to shed clothing. Once they were both bare, his lips found hers again, pulling her close to his body. He could feel her warmth against him, making him anxious with anticipation. After months of watching her, thinking about her, it was now becoming a reality.

"There's still time for me to stop," he whispered as his lips brushed her earlobe.

Juliette took his hands into hers as she sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled him down with her. "I don't want it to stop," she answered.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So...I went back and deleted the previous Chapter 10 & re-worked it. That's what happens when I get in a rush & write/post because I listen to others. Anyway...Here's the new chapter 10.

Thanks for sticking around!

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

_"There's still time for me to stop," he whispered as his lips brushed her earlobe._

_Juliette took his hands into hers as she sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled him down with her. "I don't want it to stop," she answered._

Unfortunately it did stop. Just as the two began to reach for each other shirts, Leatherneck's cell phone started vibrating in his pocket. At first he didn't hear it or maybe just tried to ignore the sound of it. It wasn't until Juliette felt her thigh rubbing against his waist when she felt it going on. She pulled away and heard him cursing as he dug into his pocket to retrieve his phone.

Hel left her with another searing kiss and told her that they'd talk when he got back. He didn't know when it would be but once he was back to base he'd find her so they could talk. Juliette was left lying on her bed wondering what was wrong with herself. She was disappointed in her actions by nearly going to bed with him on the first evening together.

She lied on her bed, staring up at the ceiling. The sudden phone call was a blessing in disguise, she thought. This will give them time to talk, to discuss what would happen next. That is if there would be a next time. For all she knew this was what he wanted from her, a quick romp in the bed before returning back to base. They would need to talk about this and soon.

Leatherneck glanced down at his watch and sighed. His relief was late getting there. He'd been on guard duty since 2200 and now it was 0200. He needed to stretch out, get something to eat and just relax for a half hour before he would have to return to duty again.

"About damn time," he said as he saw Low Light making his way towards him.

Behind the dark red lenses of his goggles, Low Light's eyelids narrowed as he looked at the anxious Marine. "What's got your panties in a bunch?"

"I'm just hungry," Leatherneck said as he allowed Low Light to take his post at the front gate. "And I gotta get these damn stitches out, too."

Low Light frowned. "The mess has some kind of chicken something. I can't imagine anyone being hungry enough to eat that," he said and made a sour look. "I heard that nurse is in a snit. Apparently he and Beach got into it about something or other."

Smiling, Leatherneck pulled the strap of his rifle over his shoulder and shook his head. "Already heard the food was bad but that's normal around here. As for that nurse, she's only happy when she's poking on someone."

The Marine turned and walked away, not leaving a chance for the sniper to question what he meant. He was a man with an empty stomach. He didn't have time to chit chat. He had an appointment that he needed to get to. It had been four days since their dinner date at her place. Since then he had been on a mission that required another set of stitches. The stitches that he had received right before leaving were healed and were scheduled to come out yesterday but he was in the middle of the jungle trying to keep alive.

Pushing his way through the front doors, he saw a nervous greenshirt medic staring at him.

"What can I do for you, sergeant?" Medic Langford asked as he saw the Marine step up the desk.

Lifting up his arm, he showed the healing laceration to the young medic. "Ratchet wanted to check my arm out. Said I could get my stitches out."

"I can do that," the young man said as he stood up.

Shaking his head, Leatherneck waved him off. "Nothing against you, Langford. But I told Ratchet she was gonna do it." He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward to look at the Army medic. "Need to make that cranky woman work. Get her off your back for a while."

Langford smiled. "She's all right. She's been in a fairly good mood lately."

Stepping out of the back room, Juliette saw Leatherneck standing at the desk, talking to the medic on duty. "You're late," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Cranky woman," he said as he still looked at the medic. "See what I mean." He pushed himself up and turned to her. "All right, Ratchet. Time to torture me."

She sighed, shaking her head. "You can go on to dinner, Chris. I'll hold down the fort."

"Yes, ma'am," Langford said as he jumped up out of his chair and all but ran out of the infirmary.

Holding up a finger, she motioned towards the exam room and turned to make her way there. Following her, Leatherneck walked into the exam room and jumped up onto the stretcher. "So I heard you're in a good mood," he said as he rolled up his sleeve a little more.

"Really now?" Juliette said as she snapped on a pair of gloves and began to examine his wound to see if it had healed properly.

"Yeah. I told Low Light you must be poking on someone."

She smiled as she carefully snipped the stitches and began to remove them. "Is that the only time I'm allowed to be happy?"

Lifting his free hand, he twined his fingers around a loose tendril of hair. "When I'm not around. Yeah."

"And you're here now," she said as she applied steri-strips to the wound to continue to keep the laceration closed. Applying a fresh dressing, she stepped back and removed her gloves. "Does that mean I can be happy now?"

"I would say so." Sliding off the stretcher, he nodded. Pulling her closer to him, he leaned his head down to kiss her but he was stopped when she covered his lips with her hand. Stepping back, he looked down at her. "What's wrong?"

"We need to talk, Wendall," she said as she stepped out of his arms and walked to the counter. Cleaning up, she washed her hands and pulled several paper towels from the holder to dry her hands. "I needed to talk to you about dinner."

Folding his arms across his chest, he stared across the exam room and looked at her. "What about it?" He lifted his hand and rubbed the side of his nose with his finger. "What do you want to talk about?"

Juliette kept her back to him as she placed her hands on the counter to steady herself. "About what happened before you left."

He nodded, sighing as he stepped across the room to place his hands on her shoulders. Lowering his head forward, he kissed her on the top of her head. He couldn't deny that this hadn't been on his thoughts. When he wasn't being shot at the last four days he had been trying to find a way to approach this. Honestly, he had hoped that she would have just forgotten about it and things just went back to the way it was.

However the moment that the Tomahawk landed and he was ordered to go to the infirmary, then he saw her. She was standing there on the landing strip along with Lifeline waiting for them to land. Jumping out of the helicopter, his feet hit the tarmac and found himself caught in her gaze. Her eyes met his only for a moment and he felt something that he hadn't felt in a long time – fear. And when she grabbed the stretcher that an unconscious Zap was on to rush back to the infirmary, he felt his heart jump out of his chest.

Now he was standing here, behind her and couldn't say a word. A man that wasn't afraid to speak his mind at any time for any reason he found himself unable to find the right words to say to the woman. Their kiss was explosive and if he hadn't received the call when they most likely would have ended up doing something that his body was still screaming at him for not taking advantage of. In the back of his mind he was certain that his father wouldn't be very proud of him if he knew the thoughts that had ran through his mind when he was driving back to base.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded. "Yeah. You're right, Jules. We need to talk."


End file.
